Continued...
Yet the need is very great. There are fifteen Reservations in the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, which are co-extensive with the San Bernardino Diocese. Religious education and in particular sacramental ministry are desperately needed, yet these have not been readily available. Until six years ago there was no resident pastor on any of the Reservations, the last one having departed from Soboba Indian Reservation some 15 years or so ago. There are 6 Catholic Missions, none of which can afford stipends for religious ministry. Without a stipend ministers cannot survive so as to remain with the people.All staff personnel have had to be volunteers, their time limited by their jobs or other responsibilities and commitments.
The Fund, established in 1996 initially under the auspices of the Society of the Sacred Heart, was a response to this need. It started with a tiny “mustard seed”. The recycling of aluminum soda cans netted $5.45, and so we began! Since then it has grown to where (April, 2008) it is able to provide $617.00 monthly for the support of our ministers. The growth of the Fund is dependent almost entirely on individual donors who give a monthly or annual gift according to their means. Currently we are using interest from the Fund to reimburse four of our dedicated staff member, two lay and two religious. We hope that the Fund will continue to grow to the point where it will be able to assist not only the Indian Reservations in this area, but even beyond.
Once firmly established, the Kateri Tekakwitha Fund was incorporated in 2001 as an independent organization and received its non-profit status January, 2002. Its mission is “to maintain a fund under Catholic auspices to help Native Americans in provision to their people of Catholic religious and spiritual education and Catholic sacramental and other ministerial services."